Latch mechanism.



J. SHAND. LATGH MECHANISM. 'APPZIOATION FILED PEB.27. 1908.-

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

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LATCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION gum) 312.27, 190s.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT oriuon.

. JAMES SHAND, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO EDWARD L.AOKER MAN AND ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES E. GHAMBERLIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Liircrr MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

Serial No. 418,112.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES SHAND, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LatchMechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

" latch therethrough.

The invention relates generally to alatch mechanism, which, for thepurpose of illustration, is shown as applied to the door of anautomobile body, and consists in the novel construction of the mechanismwhereby the door may be readily and securely latched or locked withoutthe necessity of slamming.

The invention further consists in the detail construction of the latchmechanism, and in the peculiar arrangement and combination of itsvarious arts.

In the drawings,F1gure 1 is a sectional perspective view of anautomobile body, showing the latch mechanism applied; Fig. 2 is a faceview of the casing; Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional View of thelatchplate; Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of the latch mechanism, aportion of one casing side being broken away to show the interiorarrangement of the parts; Fig. 5 is a .view similar to Fig. 4, showingthe parts in different positions; Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View of thelatch and its actuating spring; Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective Viewof a portion of the casing; and Fig. 8 is a detached perspective View ofthe handle.

In the drawings thus briefly described, A represents the automobilebody, and G the casing.

' D represents the usual latch-plate, slotted, as at a, to receive thelatch, and provided in this instance with a latch-releasing member E ofa tapering or wedge-like form, the plate being secured in the ordinarymanner to the door casing. F represents the usual casing containing thelatch mechanism proper, comprising the usual side-plates b andface-plate a, slotted, as at d, to permit of the projection of the Thecasin formed with a guideway G,pre erably in the form of ahousing,-adapted to receive, upon the closing of the door, thelatch-releasing member E upon the latch-plate. The

B the door,

is also housing is slotted, as at f, for a purpose hereinafter setforth.

.H indicatesthc latch proper in the form of a locking-hook mounted uponand ri idly secured to a spindle-sleeve I suitably ournaled at. its endsin the casing'sides.

K is an actuating spring for the latch connected to the latter and to apin or lug G on the casing in any suitable manner, the spring actingnormally to maintain the locking-hook in its operative position inrelation to thelatch-plate, as indicated in Fig. 4.

Beneath the latch described is pivoted a locking-plate L fashioned toextend beneath the housin G and upwardly through the slot f therein, asindicated in dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5. This plate is provided witha suitable spring 0 which serves to hold the locking member normally incontact with the locking hook and partially within the slot f. A portionof the locking-plate hearing against the latch is formed with an angularportion M that is adapted, when the latch is in its inoperative positionas indicated in Fig. 5, to engage a detent or shoulder J upon the hookfor retaining the latter wholly within the casing;

P represents a suitable operating member for the latch mechanism,in thisinstance the usual form of handle, provided with a spindle Q which fitsthe spindle-sleeve I.

When the door is shut and in alinement with its casing, the parts are inthe position indicated in Fig. 4, the latch protruding through theface-plate and engaging the latch-plate in the ordinary manner. Uponturning the handle to open the door, the

latch is rotated until entirely within its casing, and is held in thisposition by the automatically operating locking plate. Upon closing thedoor, the parts remain in the position described until the member E uponthe latch-plate enters the housing or gu deway Gr, when the portion ofthe lockingplate L projecting within the guideway is engaged, thelocking-plate depressed, and the spring-actuated latch released, lockingthe door to its casin It will be noticed from the construction of themechanism described that the latch-releasing member E is adapted toperform not only its primary function as set forth but also serves inthe nature of a centering device for the door, raising the latterslightly, or depressing the same,as the case may be, according to theextent that the door may be out of proper alinement with its casing.

What I claim as my invention is,--

1. In a latch mechanism, the combination with a latch casing providedwith a guideway, of a spring-pressed latch within the casing, automaticmeans for holding the latch in an inoperative position against thetension of its spring, automatic releasing mechanism for the latchincluding a member projecting within the guideway, a latch retainer, andmeans associated with said retainer adapted to engage the guideway andthe projecting member therein.

2. The combination with door and casing members, of'a latch retainerupon one memher and a latch mechanismupon the other consisting of acasing, a latch therein, a coil spring for normally holdingthe latch inlocked position, a spring-actuated lock also within the casing adaptedto hold the latch in inoperative position, a guideway on the casinghaving'a slot therein through which a portion of the lock projects, anda latchreleasing member upon the latch plate engaging the guideway uponthe alining of the door and easing members, for the purpose described. 7

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES SHAND.

Witnesses:

NELLIE KINSELLA, HARRY W. GALVIN.

